Acceptances/Awards

EWU McNair Scholar Darlene Gilroy Awarded Graduate Student Assistantship at PSU

07/07/2021 by Jaeger, Corinne Leave a Comment

Congratulations! Darlene Gilroy, Awarded Graduate Student Assistantship at Portland State University

Congratulations EWU McNair Scholar Darlene Gilroy! Darlene was awarded a graduate student assistantship at Portland State University. This spring Darlene was accepted by San Jose State University's Geology Masters program with funding and accepted by Portland State University's Geology Masters program. Darlene plans to attend Portland State University in the fall of 2022.

Darlene has completed two summer internships with EWU McNair. Her research focuses on the chemical weathering of volcanic sediments under the mentorship of Dr. Carmen Nezat. Darlene has presented on her research at the 2019 Murdock College Science Research Conference in Tacoma WA, the 2020 WE-STEM conference at EWU, and the EWU Virtual Symposium. More recently she presented Chemical Weathering of Deposits from the 1980 Mount St. Helens Eruption and its Effect on Stream Water Chemistry at the virtual Baylor McNair Research Conference and to EWU's own Geology Department. Many thanks to Dr. Nezat for her outstanding mentorship.

In addition to being awarded two McNair Summer Research Internships here at Eastern. Darlene has also been recognized for her excellence with grants and scholarships. Last spring Darlene was awarded the Penelope A. Jones Scholarship and the HOME Program Scholarship. This fall, Eastern's Geology Department awarded Darlene the Fall 2020 Alumni-Funded Undergraduate Research Grant, to assist with her McNair research.

Keep up the amazing work Darlene! EWU McNair is confident that you will succeed in graduate school and have a great impact on our world. Read more about Darlene's research on her EWU McNair webpage!

Ian Campuzano Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and Awarded Summer Research Internship

05/13/2021 by Tennyson, Bryn Leave a Comment

Ian Campuzano McNair Scholar Announcements 2021

Congratulations Eastern Washington University student Ian Campuzano! Ian has been selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and awarded a summer research internship. McNair Scholars must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, are first generation college students and low-income and/or underrepresented students, and are selected for their promise as scholars and commitment to attaining a PhD. Ian is majoring in Psychology as well as a minor in Criminal Justice. He is interested in studying criminal behavior and the multiple mental aspects that come into play when deciphering the reasoning behind criminal acts. For his 2021 McNair summer research internship, he will be working under the mentorship of Dr. Jill Seiver on social media platform interpretations and how a first impression of an individual’s social media page can widely affect other’s perspectives and emotions pointed at that individual.

We're so excited to have Ian join us as a McNair Scholar!

EWU McNair Scholar Alexandria Coronado Awarded Capstone McNair Graduate Council Fellowship

05/11/2021 by Jaeger, Corinne Leave a Comment

Alexandria Coronado McNair Fellowship Award 2021

Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Alexandria Coronado! Alexandria has been selected as a Capstone McNair Graduate Council Fellow in the Graduate School of the University of Alabama, where Alexandria was accepted by the Political Science PhD Program. This prestigious fellowship provides a stipend for Alexandria's 1st, 3rd, and 5th year of graduate school, with her department providing fellowships for the 2nd and 4th year. Alexandria was also accepted by the Political Science Masters Program at Saint Louis University with full funding and Texas A&M's Bush School Masters of Public Service and Administration program. Alexandria has already found a place to stay in Alabama and is excited to start her path towards her doctorate.

Alexandria is majoring in Political Science with an emphasis in Pre-Law and minoring in Anthropology. At Eastern, she is involved in the Honors Program as well as the International Affairs Community. Her research interests revolve around the ever-growing economic inequalities in the United States. For her EWU McNair Summer Research Internship, Alexandria did research on the food and housing insecurity of undergraduate college students under the mentorship of Dr. Lindsey Upton. She presented her research proposal for this project at the EWU 2020 Virtual Research Symposium.

The EWU McNair staff are so excited for Alexandria and we know she'll do amazing things at whichever program she decides to attend! Click here to read more about Alexandria or her research.

Darlynne Kahyesi Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and Awarded Summer Research Internship

04/29/2021 by Tennyson, Bryn Leave a Comment

Darlynne Khayesi McNair Scholar Announcements 2021

Congratulations Eastern Washington University student Darlynne Khayesi! Darlynne has been selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and awarded a summer research internship. McNair Scholars must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, are first generation college students and low-income and/or underrepresented students, and are selected for their promise as scholars and commitment to attaining a PhD. Darlynne is studying Applied Developmental Psychology while minoring in Communications Studies as well as Gender and Women’s Studies, with her intended career to be a Counselor. For her EWU McNair Summer Research Internship, Darlynne will study the mental health challenges of immigrants under the mentorship of Dr. Jillene Seiver.

We're so excited to have Darlynne join us as a McNair Scholar!

EWU McNair Scholars Lucia Roussa and Mori Williams Present at NCUR

04/27/2021 by Jaeger, Corinne Leave a Comment

Green back drop (lime to jade), with title of article, names of scholars and an image of each

EWU McNair Scholar Mori Williams and Lucia Roussa presented last week at the virtual National Council on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) Conference. NCUR promotes undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity in all fields of study through their conference for students. It celebrates undergraduate student achievement and hopes to help improve the state of undergraduate education. Each conference hosts 3,500 to 4,000 students from across the globe, presenting their research through posters, oral presentations, visual arts, and performances. This year the conference took place completely online.

Mori and Lucia both worked with mentor Dr. Camille McNeely on research at the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge. Mori presented on cyanobacteria in the refuge by creating a video and then was available for questions during the conference. Lucia presented her project investigating the relationship between freshwater algal abundance and diversity through analyzing the eutrophication of these wetlands. Lucia's presentation was live during the conference. Here are some of Lucia's thoughts about presenting:

Presenting was much different than I had initially thought it was going to be. I really did not know what to expect, or how many people would be watching my presentation. Since the conference was online in a Zoom format it felt similar to a presentation you would give in class. There was only three students and one professor who watched me present live, so that made things a bit easier. I learned that presenting at a conference was not as scary as I had imagined! Maybe if it was in person I would feel differently, but all together it was a great experience."

I think my greatest take away from presenting at a conference is the importance of practicing your material out loud and being well prepared. I gave this presentation to my housemates more times than they probably wanted, but becoming completely comfortable with your slides and memorizing your information is key to a smooth and professional presentation."

I recommend that all students just go for it! I feel like there is such a stigma around the difficulty of these kinds of presentations/conferences. Personally, I have a huge fear of public speaking, especially in front of faculty and peers who are extremely knowledgeable! I was given great advice from one of my professors who said that you (the presenter) know the most about your topic, so be confident in what you are talking about! That really stuck with me and gave me so much confidence when it came my time to speak."

EWU McNair Encourages Scholar Presentations at Conferences

EWU McNair encourages all of its scholars to present at conferences such as NCUR to build confidence, experience, and to strengthen Curriculum Vitae's (CV) for applying to graduate school. This school year scholars presented at the Baylor McNair Research Conferenc,the Murdock College Science Research Conference, and last week at the Gabriel E. Gallardo Research, Student Leadership & Advocacy Symposium hosted by the University of Washington. Typically most EWU McNair Scholars also present at the EWU Symposium. Last year we may have set a record with 18 scholars presenting last spring! This year, to ensure our scholars have this opportunity, EWU McNair is partnering with CSTEM at EWU to host a symposium on June 2nd. The symposium will begin with a Social Justice in Research Panel with EWU McNair Alumni at 9 am. Check back on the McNair Website to find out how to register in advance to attend this secured Zoom event.

EWU McNair Scholars Present at Murdock College Science Research Conference 2020

By Jaeger, Corinne | 01/27/2021

Nine EWU McNair Scholars Present at Baylor McNair Research Conference

By Jaeger, Corinne | 10/09/2020

18 EWU McNair Scholars Present at EWU Virtual Symposium

By Jaeger, Corinne | 06/10/2020

Darlene Gilroy, EWU McNair Scholar and Environmental Geology major, attends prestigious Murdock College Science Research Conference in Vancouver, WA

By Patolo, Najeda | 11/14/2019

Abdu Mohammed Visiting Congressional Reps

Abdulrazik Mohammed Travels to DC to Attend the 7th Annual International Symposium on Women and Genocide in the 21st Century: The Case of Darfur

By jlittleton1 | 12/04/2018

More about the 2021 NCUR Presenters

Lucia is finishing a dual Environmental Science and Biology major at Eastern Washington University. Lucia's research interests include phycology, marine microbiology, and conservation science in coastal marine ecosystems. Recently Lucia was selected as summer research intern by Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Sciences (CICOES) at UW. She will research whether jellyfish populations can be used as markers of health in the Puget Sound with mentor Dr. Julie Keister.

Mori is majoring in Environmental Science with an emphasis in Chemistry and a minor in Japanese. He has worked in an Organic Chemistry lab at Eastern Washington University, which involves saponification, NMR readings, and reflux methods. He is interested in finding types of toxins in bodies of water such as lakes, ponds, and the ocean to find solutions for reducing those toxins. This spring he was accepted by the Toxicology PhD program at Oregon State University.

The EWU McNair staff are proud of Mori and Lucia and we're excited to see what they'll do next!

Nyibol Thareek Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and Awarded Summer Research Internship

04/27/2021 by Tennyson, Bryn Leave a Comment

Nyibol Thareek McNair Scholar Announcements 2021

Congratulations Eastern Washington University student Nyibol Thareek! Nyibol has been selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and awarded a summer research internship. McNair Scholars must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, are first generation college students and low-income and/or underrepresented students, and are selected for their promise as scholars and commitment to attaining a PhD. Nyibol is a track and field athlete studying Mathematics and minoring in Biology. Her primary research interests through applied mathematics studies complex systems and dynamics arising in various biological phenomena. For her EWU McNair Summer Research Internship, Nyibol plans to test the excitability of mitochondria and its ability to support a traveling wave with her mentor, Associate Professor of Mathematics, Dr. Andrew Oster.

We're so excited to have Nyibol join us as a McNair Scholar!